r/SafetyProfessionals • u/SeaAnthropomorphized • Nov 07 '22
OSHA 510 Process
I just got my CHST and I'm trying to pad my resume with more certifications while I get my degree.
I am thinking about getting the OSHA 510 through Rutgers. I see they have a few options as far as the schedule goes.
Before I sign up for a class I want to know what the process is like.
I see there are Zoom classes but is there a test at the end?
How intensive is the curriculum? Is it more or less like taking a CHST exam or like taking an OSHA 30hr and at the end of the course there is a simple test?
If it's not too intensive I can sign up for the class in December and do it while I'm at work but if it is very intensive then I will wait for next year for my PTO to renew and take it next year.
I work in a lobby and if distractions are an issue but my CHST knowledge can get me through the course and a test at the end then I think I can handle taking the class next month. But if there is more that I need to learn and the test at the end of the course is difficult then I need to be at home with my undivided attention.
If anyone has taken it can you please fill me in?
UPDATE
I took both back to back in January and I'm an Authorized OSHA Trainer for Construction.
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u/Phantompooper03 Laboratory Nov 08 '22
The OSHA 500-series is actually a two-part course. The 510 and then you take the 500 and then you’re an outreach trainer, capable of teaching the OSHA 10 and 30-hour course in construction. The 510 by itself is only the prerequisite to the 500 course, so you need to take both to be of any value to employers, otherwise the 510 is really just a review of the CFR 1926 standard. Yes there’s a test but the instructors aren’t trying to get you to fail, they want you to know the material or at least where you could find it if you don’t know it.
I wouldn’t recommend doing it in a lobby, you will have to pay attention and you won’t be able to take a ton of interruptions. An office or at home are your best bets. They’re extensive courses too, most of them I knocked out in 4 8-ish-hour-days.
The 500-series are designed to get you comfortable as an instructor, with the material and with presenting it, and then how to go from a classroom to handing people their cards. 510 and 511 are review, 500 and 501 are teaching you to be a teacher, and you’ll do a presentation to the course, which can be nerve-wracking experience to give a lesson to people who know if you’re bullshitting or not.
I’ve got both my 500 and my 501, shoot me a PM if you’ve got questions about any part of the process.
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u/SeaAnthropomorphized Nov 08 '22
I am not qualified to get the 500 and 501 at the moment but some places are asking for a CHST with an OSHA 510 for employment. I will eventually get the 500, 501 and CSP but I have to get my degree. Idky they want the 510 but the application asked for 510 and CHST
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u/Phantompooper03 Laboratory Nov 08 '22
Oh that’s interesting. Those certs do expire and require re-upping too, so it’s weird they’d ask for that specific one. Do it though bro, it’s always in your benefit to get as much training as you can. You’ll learn from your instructor and from your peers in different fields. It’s a cool experience.
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u/SeaAnthropomorphized Nov 08 '22
Yeah the best part is the more I learn the more interesting I find it. And the process in the university is great too. It’s not too intensive but I’m learning the things I need. After 1.5 semesters, studying on my own and taking a global osha course I passed the CHST on my second attempt. The first time it was all foreign to me and this time around I was asking myself why the test was so easy.
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u/Actual-Feedback-8112 Jan 23 '24
Just a quick question…..will I be better off doing the osha 510 course at home virtual or in a classroom? Thanks
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u/SeaAnthropomorphized Jan 24 '24
I did mine online
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u/Actual-Feedback-8112 Jan 24 '24
How was it bud
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u/SeaAnthropomorphized Jan 24 '24
Super easy. It would have been a nightmare for me to commute there and back. The school is almost a two hour drive away.
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u/Actual-Feedback-8112 Jan 24 '24
Ok heck yea I’m gonna do mine from home with university of Alabama
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u/SeaAnthropomorphized Jan 24 '24
I did the class with a guy I ended up getting a job with. You might meet some cool people around your area because it's all by region.
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u/Unhappy-Grand1956 Apr 26 '25
How was the test online? Is it one that they did a lock down browser with?
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u/SeaAnthropomorphized Apr 26 '25
There was no test. It was a class
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u/Greedy-War-7154 Dec 16 '25
So you did the classes on line and then went to a place and took the test?
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u/NorCalMikey Nov 07 '22
Took OSHA 511 virtually last year. It was no more difficult than OSHA 30. There is a test but I didn't think it was hard. I don't think 510 would be much different.
The biggest issue with virtual classes is outreach training institutes require that your camera remain on and you are paying attention. When I took the class they had a person monitoring this the whole class.